1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to storage containers for recorded media and, more particularly, to a security container for recorded media that can only be opened with a specific key. Specifically, this invention relate""s to a security container for an item of recorded media that includes features that prevent the spine of the security container from being securely grasped and torn open.
2. Background Information
Renting items of recorded media such as video cassettes and video games has become immensely popular in recent times given the ever increasing number of items available for home viewing and the use as well as the decrease in price of the machines that play the media. Typical rental stores display the items available for rental in storage boxes that protect the items from dust, ultraviolet light, and damage from impact if accidentally dropped. Stores protect themselves against theft by shoplifting by placing one or more EAS (electronic article surveillance) tags on or inside the item of recorded media. An EAS tag may also be placed in the storage box. An EAS tag is adapted to activate an alarm when passed through a sensing device that may be disposed around the exit of the store. It is generally desirable to place the EAS tags in places where they cannot be easily removed by a shoplifter.
Most rental establishments place older rental stock out for sale when it no longer needs the item for rental. When items are put out for sale, the EAS tags are removed from the items and reused on items that are being rented. The EAS tags are removed from the items of recorded media prior to sale so that the purchaser will not activate the alarm systems in other stores with the EAS tags. Without the EAS tags, a store must protect itself against shoplifting by placing an EAS tag on the storage container holding the item for sale. It is desirable that the EAS tag be placed on the storage container in a way that allows a sales clerk to quickly and easily remove the tag after the sale is made but also in a manner that prevents a shoplifter from easily removing the tag. Placement of the EAS tag in such a position is, however, difficult because a storage container provides few, if any, areas where the EAS tag may be hidden. If the EAS tag is placed on the storage container in a fashion such that it can be easily removed, a shoplifter may simply remove the tag and steal the item without activating an alarm. It is thus desired in the art to provide a storage container having locking holes that can accept a lock containing an EAS tag when the container is used to sell an item of recorded media.
Different types of storage box and lock combinations are known in the art and are generally configured to prevent a thief from simply breaking the lock off the storage box with a small pry bar. One problem inherent with all security containers is that they are subject to attack by destroying the container. In the field of art for protecting items of recorded media, a thief will try to open the container quickly in a retail environment without drawing attention to themselves. In this environment, the thief cannot typically use complex tools. The thief must thus rely on a simple pry bar or his hands to break open the security container and gain access to the contents.
Many security containers have living hinges formed by reducing the thickness of the plastics in selected areas. Although such designs are desirable because they reduce the cost of manufacturing the security container, the areas of reduced thickness are vulnerable to attack by tearing. For instance, a typical VHS-style security container includes a pair of hinges that connect a back wall or spine to a base and a lid. It is known in the art that a thief can tear the spine off of the security container along these hinges to compromise the container and steal the contents of the container. It is thus desired in the art to provide a configuration for a security container that prevents a thief from tearing the spine from the container. The invention must be inexpensive to implement and not change the overall size or appearance of the accepted industry standards for recorded media containers.
In view of the foregoing, a principal objective of the present invention is to provide a security container that resists tearing.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a security container that prevents a thief from obtaining a secure grip on the spine of the container to deter tearing.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a security container that prevents a thief from grasping the spine of the container by providing a spine that does not extend beyond the sidewall of the container.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a security container that includes a flange secured to a sidewall that abuts the spine of the container when the container is closed to prevent a thief from grasping the spine.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a security container having features that protect the spine against tearing that may be easily added to existing security container designs.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a security container having features that protect the spine against attack by tearing that do not require additional materials to be used in addition to the materials that form the security container.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a security container having features that prevent the spine from being easily torn from the security container that do not alter the configuration of the hinges of the security container.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a security container that is of simple construction, that achieves the stated objectives in a simple, effective, and inexpensive manner, and that solves the problems and that satisfies the needs existing in the art.
These and other objectives and advantages are obtained by a security container including a base having a bottom wall and a sidewall; a spine connected to the bottom wall of the base with a first living hinge; a lid connected to the spine with a second living hinge, the lid movable between open and closed positions; the spine not extending beyond the sidewall when the lid is in the closed position; and a locking mechanism that selectively locks the lid in the closed position.